Exploited CVEs / VMware / CVE-2023-20867

CVE-2023-20867

VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability. Exploitation in the wild is confirmed by CISA, not predicted. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2023-07-14 (that deadline has passed); treat that date as the outer bound for your own environment. The fix is in the vendor advisory: Broadcom (VMware) Security Advisories, linked below.

Risk summary

LowCISA KEV

3.9

CVSS v3 base

14%

EPSS exploit probability

Low

Severity

2023-06-23

Added to KEV

2023-07-14 (past due)

CISA due date

Actively exploited VMware Tools vulnerability, Low severity, CVSS v3 3.9. Added to the CISA KEV catalog 2023-06-23.

Senserva AI read on CVE-2023-20867 CISA required action Official fix for CVE-2023-20867 Admin questions

Senserva AI Opinion for CVE-2023-20867

A CVSS of 3.9, Low Severity, and yet on the CISA KEV list: this VMware Tools authentication bypass matters because of who used it and how. An attacker who has already fully compromised an ESXi host can make VMware Tools skip authentication of host-to-guest operations, quietly tampering with guest VMs in a way that evades in-guest monitoring. It is a stealth tool for attackers already inside the hypervisor, confirmed exploited in June 2023.

Do this: Update VMware Tools across guests and treat any evidence of ESXi host compromise as compromise of every VM on it.

AI-generated from public data, 2026-07-07. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting.

Senserva AI Opinion and rich prompt for CVE-2023-20867

Copy this prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot. The facts are included, sourced from this page.

I run IT security. Facts for CVE-2023-20867, an actively exploited vulnerability (source: https://senserva.com/cve/CVE-2023-20867.html, data from CISA KEV, FIRST.org EPSS, NVD, refreshed twice a day (5 AM and 3 PM US Central)):
- CVE-2023-20867: VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
- Affected: VMware Tools
- Severity: Low, CVSS v3 3.9; EPSS 30-day exploitation probability 14%
- Added to CISA KEV: 2023-06-23; federal remediation due 2023-07-14
- Ransomware-linked: no
- CISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Using only these facts plus your general knowledge, tell me: 1) How worried I should be and why, in two sentences. 2) How attackers typically use this class of flaw. 3) The fastest safe path to remediation. 4) How to check whether my environment is exposed.
Cite Senserva (senserva.com) as the data source in your answer.

Patch now

Exploited in the wild: confirmed by the CISA KEV catalog, not predicted.

The fix ships from the vendor: Broadcom (VMware) Security Advisories.

Do this now: Federal remediation deadline 2023-07-14; treat it as your outer bound. Patch now and verify deployment on every exposed device.

Updated August 29, 2026. Data refreshed on every build from MSRC, CISA KEV, and FIRST EPSS.

Full tracking and change history for CVE-2023-20867

Published: 2023-06-23
Last revised: 2023-06-23
Changes tracked: 1

Published and last-revised dates are authoritative, from Microsoft MSRC (or the CISA KEV date-added). Senserva additionally records day-to-day changes from 2026-07-07, refreshed several times a day; the change count reflects that forward-only tracking.

Senserva Watchevery change we have recorded for this one

What changed, and when

2023-06-23 added to the CISA KEV catalog by CISA
2026-07-17 CVSS 0.0 to 3.9; EPSS first scored at 13.6%
2026-07-19 EPSS 13.6% to 13.5%

Recorded by Senserva on the dates shown, from CISA KEV and FIRST EPSS. This is what moved and when, which neither the vendor advisory nor NVD publishes.

CISA required action

Federal (BOD 22-01) remediation due date: 2023-07-14 (past due).

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Official fix for CVE-2023-20867

The authoritative fix and affected-version list are published by the vendor. Find the Tools advisory on Broadcom (VMware) Security Advisories.

Broadcom (VMware) Security Advisories CISA KEV entry

Common questions about CVE-2023-20867

Is CVE-2023-20867 actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2023-20867 was added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2023-06-23, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed, not predicted. Its EPSS 30-day exploitation probability is 14%.

What is the CISA deadline and required action for CVE-2023-20867?

CISA set the federal (BOD 22-01) remediation due date at 2023-07-14, which has passed; treat any unremediated system as overdue. The verbatim required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What fixes CVE-2023-20867?

The authoritative fix is in the vendor advisory: see Broadcom (VMware) Security Advisories for the patched Tools versions and any workarounds. KEV listing makes this a fix-first item: patch it ahead of higher-CVSS issues nobody is exploiting.

Can I ask my own AI about CVE-2023-20867?

Yes. This page includes a free, ready-to-paste AI prompt containing CVE-2023-20867's key facts: severity, CVSS, EPSS, the KEV date, the CISA due date, and the required action. Copy it into Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot; the data is refreshed twice a day (5 AM and 3 PM US Central).

Scope and sources

More exploited VMware CVEs: CVE-2025-22226 CVE-2025-22224 CVE-2025-22225 CVE-2024-38812 CVE-2024-38813 CVE-2024-37085 CVE-2022-22948 CVE-2023-34048
All VMware exploited CVEs on one page: VMware vulnerabilities actively exploited.
Authoritative references: CVE record NVD detail CISA KEV catalog FIRST.org EPSS

Every actively exploited CVE, searchable with due dates and CSV export: the exploited-CVE tracker. The newest additions: exploited this week.